On Palm Sunday, we enjoyed a children’s program entitled “The Tale of the Three Trees” in our morning worship service. This musical helped to lead the congregation in worship, much like the children did when Jesus entered Jerusalem two thousand years ago. Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s sermon on Matthew 21:1-17, the story of Jesus’s triumphal entry.
(Please excuse our technical difficulties: the wireless microphone cut in and out of operation a few times during this message.)
Dead bones are reassembled, with muscles and tendons and skin forming on top of them… and then the breath of life enters these bodies, which stand up and form a great army. A scene from a recent Hollywood film? No, we’re talking about Ezekiel 37:1-14, in which God calls Ezekiel to prophesy to the dead bones, which represent the people of Israel in exile. How does this passage speak to the issue of despair in our society? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s sermon on this topic.
When God called Samuel to anoint a new king over Israel, he challenged the prophet to reconsider what he expected the king to look like. After all, man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. How does this story relate to that of Jesus healing the man born blind? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s sermon on 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and John 9:1-41.
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:5-42, he was embarking on a journey of self-revelation – without his disciples nearby. And to top it all off, the Savior offered this woman “living water,” as well. What does this story have to do with our own spiritual walks and our call to spread the message of Jesus Christ to a spiritually thirsty world? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s sermon on this topic.
In John 3:1-17, Jesus challenged Nicodemus to be born again (or born from above) – a spiritual rebirth, in which his inner identity is fundamentally changed. Is such a transformation actually possible? Our culture tends to say no, but Pastor David says yes – click the link below to hear his sermon on this passage.
What should we give up for Lent? This new series of sermons begins with a fresh look at the temptation of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 4:1-11. Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s sermon, which suggests that temptation is really a test of faithfulness to one’s identity – both for Jesus and for us.
Isaiah 58:1-9a shows how strongly the Lord wants us to avoid “going through the motions” of our worship lives. In the upcoming season preceding Easter, we will participate in a program called “Focus 40” with many other Church of God congregations. What is this program about? And why are we being called to forty days of prayer and fasting? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on these issues.
This Sunday, we considered Jesus’s words in Matthew 5:38-48, which culminate with the famous saying, “be perfect, therefore, as your Father in heaven is perfect.” How perfect is that? What is God calling us to be, anyway? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on this topic.
In Matthew 5:21-30, Jesus expanded on the Old Testament laws “Do not murder” and “Do not commit adultery.” He was calling his disciples to avoid not just those actions but also the thoughts and attitudes that lie behind them. But are the stakes really as high as he suggested – that we should poke out our eyes and cut off our hands rather than be thrown into hell? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on this passage.
What do Goldilocks, cooking, and the Sermon on the Mount have in common? There’s only one way to find out. Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on Matthew 5:13-20, the passage in which Jesus calls his disciples “the light of the world” and “the salt of the earth.” How should Christians be “bright and salty” in today’s world?